Physics – High Energy Physics – High Energy Physics - Theory
Scientific paper
2010-01-01
Phys.Rev.D82:063510,2010
Physics
High Energy Physics
High Energy Physics - Theory
29 pages, 8 figures
Scientific paper
10.1103/PhysRevD.82.063510
The no-boundary wave function (NBWF) specifies a measure for prediction in cosmology that selects inflationary histories and remains well behaved for spatially large or infinite universes. This paper explores the predictions of the NBWF for linear scalar fluctuations about homogeneous and isotropic backgrounds in models with a single scalar field moving in a quadratic potential. We treat both the space-time geometry of the universe and the observers inhabiting it quantum mechanically. We evaluate top-down probabilities for local observations that are conditioned on the NBWF and on part of our data as observers of the universe. For models where the most probable histories do not have a regime of eternal inflation, the NBWF predicts homogeneity on large scales, a specific non-Gaussian spectrum of observable fluctuations, and a small amount of inflation in our past. By contrast, for models where the dominant histories have a regime of eternal inflation, the NBWF predicts significant inhomogeneity on scales much larger than the present horizon, a Gaussian spectrum of observable fluctuations, and a long period of inflation in our past. The absence or presence of local non-Gaussianity therefore provides information about the global structure of the universe, assuming the NBWF.
Hartle James
Hawking Stephen W.
Hertog Thomas
No associations
LandOfFree
The No-Boundary Measure in the Regime of Eternal Inflation does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The No-Boundary Measure in the Regime of Eternal Inflation, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The No-Boundary Measure in the Regime of Eternal Inflation will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-233658